Edutainment is powerful. Nollywood proves we can use edutainment for behavior change. Yet we don’t often use multi-channel communication to empower audiences with the knowledge and agency to take action.
Edutainment through Radio in South Sudan
When I was working with BBC Media Action in South Sudan we did formative research to see how we could affect behavior change during pregnancy and childbirth. We found that FM radio dramas can effectively encourage antenatal care attendance, birth at facilities, and breastfeeding exclusively for six months.
That research gave birth to Life in Lulu, a radio drama series in South Sudan that recently turned 10. From July 2014, Life in Lulu started to focus exclusively on humanitarian issues, peace and conflict resolution.
Research shows that Life in Lulu has had a significant impact on women’s attitudes and behaviors related to conflict resolution and gender norms. These include:
- Increased Confidence: Highly engaged female listeners reported feeling significantly more confident in using non-violent methods to resolve conflicts.
- Action Taken after Listening: 52% of highly engaged female listeners reported having taken action to resolve disputes.
Edutainment through Mobile Phones in Uganda
Twaweza reports that at least 56 % of Ugandans use FM radio as their primary source of information, yet almost 70% of Ugandans now have access to a mobile phone. Hence, in addition to radio, mobile phones can be a powerful way to reach Ugandans with interactive content.
Viamo, supported by The Waterloo Foundation, carried out a randomized controlled trial in Uganda to evaluate the impact of different styles of content on family planning outcomes using interactive voice response – that allows users to listen and choose pre-recorded audio on their phones by calling a number and following simple voice prompts.
We tested public service announcements, dramatized content, dialogue, talk shows and gamification. The interactive path based game – Wanji Game – outperformed all other content types and was particularly effective in dispelling myths and influencing self-efficacy and behavior on family planning. Showing yet again that edutainment is a great way to influence behavior change.
Why Is Edutainment Effective?
Edutainment is one of the oldest forms of communication and learning. We can point to Aesop’s Fables as using entertainment elements to capture and maintain audience attention while delivering life lessons.
This makes learning more enjoyable and less tedious than other methods. Heightened engagement always leads to better knowledge retention. Here are five more reasons why edutainment is more effective than other education formats:
- Improved Knowledge Retention: By making learning fun and relatable, edutainment improves knowledge retention. Emotional engagement and memorable narratives aid in recall.
- Enhanced Attitude and Behavior Change: Entertainment formats can be more effective than didactic approaches in changing attitudes and promoting desired behaviors. Storytelling and relatable characters can increase persuasion and influence.
- Overcoming Resistance: Edutainment can help overcome resistance to information by making it less threatening or preachy. Entertainment formats can foster a sense of connection and trust between the audience and the message.
- Accessibility and Reach: Edutainment can reach diverse audiences, particularly those who might not engage with traditional educational materials. The use of varied media (audio, video, interactive games) expands accessibility.
- Reinforcement of Learning: Through repetition, varied presentation styles, and interactive elements, edutainment facilitates effective knowledge reinforcement and reduces information loss.
Edutainment Best Practice in Development
Any social behavior change communication expert will know that there are certain non-negotiables when it comes to deploying edutainment strategies. Here is my list of five best practices:
- Target Audience: Thoroughly understand your target audience’s needs, preferences, cultural context, and existing knowledge. Tailor the content to resonate with their specific characteristics.
- Storytelling and Narrative: Craft compelling narratives that engage audiences emotionally. Use relatable characters, authentic scenarios, and clear plotlines.
- Strategic Myth Correction: Address misconceptions directly but sensitively. Present correct information upfront and clearly, avoiding unintended reinforcement of myths.
- Reinforcement Mechanisms: Employ various techniques to reinforce learning, such as repetition, interactive elements (quizzes, games), visual aids, memorable catchphrases, and positive feedback.
- Clarity over Narrativity: While engaging narratives are important, ensure that educational elements are clear, direct, and easily understood. Avoid ambiguity or confusing storylines.
Organizations that are successfully combining radio and mobile are BBC Media Action, Girl Effect, Farm Radio International, PSI, PMC, PCI Media to name a few adopters.
But there are others that get stuck on traditional approaches alone because it is familiar. More organizations should combine radio and mobile phone strategies for effective behavior change considering the accessibility and importance of both devices for our audiences. A multi-channel approach will ultimately achieve more reach and scale.
Share your experiences with using edutainment for behavior change in the comments below!
Sulakshana Gupta is currently Vice President for Partnerships, East and Southern Africa at Viamo.
